Long termism is a quasi religious world view that says you're ethically excused from caring about the poorest people around the world. People like peter teal and ela musk who have not only talked about being associated with these movements, but have actually funded the kind of academic work that goes into legitimizing them. And as we describe in this episode, that then creates a justification for someone like anila musk to say he needs to be the richest man in the world because he needs to extend the light of consciousness into space.
Paris Marx is joined by Émile P. Torres to discuss why longtermism isn’t just about long-term thinking, but provides a framework for Silicon Valley billionaires to justify ignoring the crises facing humanity so they can accumulate wealth and go after space colonization.
Émile P. Torres is a PhD candidate at Leibniz University Hannover and the author of the forthcoming book Human Extinction: A History of Thinking About the End of Humanity. Follow Phil on Twitter at @xriskology.
Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, and support the show on Patreon.
Find out more about Harbinger Media Network at harbingermedianetwork.com.
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